Bulldogs edge Burns with late touchdown

The Lovell Bulldogs took to the road for their 2026 season opener Thursday, meeting the Burns Broncs in Glenrock on a neutral field, and although they pretty much controlled the game from start to finish, it took a late touchdown to put them over the top, 22-15.

“I feel like we were in control of the game about 90 percent of the time,” head coach Nicc Crosby said. “I think our defense did a good job of overcoming some bad field position due to maybe our turnovers or good returns by their punt or kickoff return teams. Really, our defense kept them scoreless. We just didn’t do a great job of taking advantage of their mistakes and putting some points on the board when we should have. But then our kick coverages have just got to be better.”

The Bulldogs went three and out to start the game, then punted to the Burns 30. The Broncs also went three and out, punting to the Lovell 18. The Bulldogs drove into Burns territory using a strong running game led by Joaquin Scheeler and a passing game that produced a 31-yard pass from Kyson Crosby to Hunter Krei and a seven-yard aerial to Mac Morgan at the Burns 30. However, Crosby was picked off over the middle, ending the drive.

Burns drove to the Lovell 45 and went for it on fourth and two, falling short. The Bulldogs then drove 52 yards to score. Crosby hit Scheeler on a swing pass for a nice gain, then picked up the first down on fourth down with his legs.

Reaching the Burns 39 early in the second quarter, a penalty set the Bulldogs back, but Crosby connected with sophomore Kannon Owens for a 30-yard gain that set up a three-yard touchdown run by Scheeler. With the Rylan Oaks PAT, Lovell led 7-0.

The Bulldogs forced Burns three and out, then had to punt themselves after a holding penalty put them in a hole. Burns fumbled on the first play of the new series, with Jett Hessenthaler recovering at the Burns 18, but after a Bronc penalty took the ball halfway to the goal, Burns intercepted Crosby for the second time to end the threat.

Burns gained one first down, then punted to the Bulldogs, with the ball bouncing back into Burns territory. The Bulldogs marched 47 yards to score with a pass completion and a Burns facemask penalty, two keepers by Crosby, a shovel pass to Morgan and a four-yard touchdown run by Scheeler. Lovell led 14-0.

The Bulldogs had one more chance to score in the first half after a snap from center sailed over the Burns punter’s head, but the Broncs picked off Crosby in the end zone as the half ended.

Second half drama

Lovell appeared to still be in complete control in the third quarter, despite Burns driving into Lovell territory on the first series of the second half. After stopping the Broncs on fourth down, the Bulldogs suffered a pair of quarterback sacks and had to punt from the end zone. The Broncs returned the punt 54 yards for a touchdown and suddenly were down by just one score, 14-7.

And then it happened again.

Lovell drove into Burns territory on the ensuing series but gave the ball over on downs. The Bulldogs forced a Burns punt but couldn’t move the ball and punted to the Broncs. Once again, a Burns punt returner took the kick to the house, this time 80 yards. After a Lovell penalty on the PAT that moved the ball closer to the goal line, the Broncs went for two and made it on a short pass, taking a 15-14 lead.

The Bulldogs didn’t panic and went 80 yards to score. On third and four from the Lovell 26, Crosby hit Owens deep, and the tall sophomore went high to snag the pass, then surged forward for a 36-yard completion. Then on fourth and five, Crosby rolled right and hit Nate Cornia for a first down at the Burns 26.

After a 10-yard run by Scheeler, Crosby found Cornia crossing over the middle at the 10, and the senior fought his way into the end zone for a touchdown. Scheeler ran in the two-point conversion, and Lovell led 22-15 with a little over three minutes left in the game.

Burns got a nice kickoff return and a completed pass to move into Lovell territory, but a sack by Tazz McArthur and an interception by Scheeler preserved the win for the Bulldogs.

Crosby said the Bulldogs will have plenty to work on this week ahead of the Mountain View game, including special teams, with his relatively young team learning on the fly.

“I think another thing is fatigue,” he said. “We have lots of guys going both ways. We had some guys sick this week and didn’t make the trip. But our defense was really solid all game. We had a couple of breakdowns in pass coverage but overall did a really good job.”

Home opener

Next up for the Bulldogs is the home and conference opener Friday against the Mountain View Buffaloes, who crushed Lovell in the semifinals last season, then beat Big Horn for the state title. Mountain View edged Rich County, Utah, 14-13 in their season opener last Friday.

Crosby said the Buffaloes return most of their linemen but lost several skill players including quarterback Justus Platts. Speedy Brendon Walker moves to quarterback to replace Platts.

“They have a new head coach (Brent Walk),” Crosby said. “It will be interesting to see how much they stay the same and how much new stuff they do. But I’ve gotta imagine it’s still going to be a physical team, and it’s a conference game. It’s a big deal, with always a lot on the line, so it ought to be a big battle.”

Kickoff at Robertson Stadium is set for 6 p.m. Friday.